Lock construction



July 3, 1934. w. s. HAMM 1,964,986

LOCK CONSTRUCTION Filed April '7, 1932 Q n 7 my 12 I 19 15 27 g5 Z3 Z5 WLZZLam SEQ/mm,

Patented July 3, 1934 PATENT OFFICE LOCK CONSTRUCTION William S. Hamm, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to The Adlake Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 7, 1932, Serial No. 603,693

1 Claim.

My invention has to do with operating mechanism for sash latches, locks and kindred devices.

The particular object of the invention is to provide for ridding such mechanism of any collected dust and other foreign matter entering the casing which would tend to clog and interfere with ease of operation.

In such mechanisms connected with sash of railway cars particularly, grit or other foreign matter works into the lock casing, however closely the parts are fitted, and finds its way into the journal bearing of the lever, causing the same to bind and to wear. Recognizing the impracticability of entirely excluding dust and other foreign matter from the casing, I have provided means for expelling the same from the bearings of the mechanism and preventing its accumulation.

In order that the invention may be readily understood a preferred embodiment of the same is set forth in the accompanying drawing and in the description predicated thereon, it being understood that variations of such embodiment may be suggested to workers in this art, coming well within the principle of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing certain of the interior parts in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective of the lever hub and barrel.

Having particular reference to the drawing the numeral 11 designates a sash rail here shown as of hollow metal construction and having slidably mounted therein a bolt 12. Upon the front face of the sash rail is mounted a latch or look casing 13 having an extension plate 14 secured to the sash rail by male and female screw members 15 and 16 and having formed as an integral part thereof a lift 17. The casing 13 provides an inner chamber 18 housing a portion of the lever 19, another portion of which lever extends without the casing and carries the finger piece 20. The lever 19 is provided with a hub 21 having a cylindrical extending barrel 22 which receives a stud 23 fixed to the casing 13 and forms therewith a journal bearing for the lever 19. The barrel 22 of the lever 19 and the stud 23 of the casing 13 are held in assembled relation by a screw 24, and the hub barrel is encircled by a coil spring, one end 25 of which bears against the wall of the easing while the other end 26 bears against a stud 27 carried by the lever arm 19, whereby the lever is urged to the left as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 or to the right as shown in Fig. 3. This stud 2'7 is hollow and has mounted therein an outwardly spring-pressed pin 28 which bears against the front wall of the casing 13 and by reaction presses the lever 19 in the opposite direction thereby taking up any lateral play in the lever and preventing rattling. The lever 19 is provided on its opposite face with a pin 29 which engages a slot 30 in the bolt 12.

No claim is made herein to the general lock assembly as hereinabove set forth, but to the novel and important construction and relationship of the journal bearing of the lever within the casing whereby accumulation of foreign matter within such journal bearing is prevented.

As most clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the barrel 22 of the lever hub 21 is radially and longitudinally slotted at 31. These slo-ts extend outwardly from the bearing surface of the stud 23 and thereby serve as channels by which dust and the like which finds its way into the journal hearing may escape therefrom. The rotative movement of the barrel upon the stud as the lever is operated serves to urge any dust outwardly and eject the same, whereas without such passages foreign matter finding its way into the journal hearing would be confined therein and gradually cause sticking and finally tight binding.

The journal bearing between the lever and the casing is usually at the bottom of the casing chamber as here shown and is thus peculiarly susceptible to the entry of dust entering from above about the lever and settling by gravity to the lower part of the chamber. It is found that by providing the outer member of this journal bearing with slots a scavenging action is obtained and the bearing is kept comparatively free from foreign matter.

I claim:

In the device of the character described, a stationary journaling pin, and a lever which is pivotally mounted on the pin and is provided at one side with an axially projecting tubular hub portion, which hub portion provides an elongated bearing for the lever and is slotted longitudinally at circumferentially spaced intervals from the lever to and through the far end of the hub portion.

WILLIAM S. HAMM. 

